Toowoomba Hospital to get expanded emergency department, isolation ward in $18m funding deal

In a major boost for our city’s stretched medical professionals, about $18m will be spent expanding the Toowoomba Hospital in two key areas. See the designs and more information here. 

Work has started on an expansion of the Toowoomba Hospital's emergency department by Hutchinson Builders, with completion expected in November.

Toowoomba Hospital’s emergency department will double in size by the end of this year, but the region’s health authorities are still concerned about a lack of doctors and nurses across the Darling Downs.

Darling Downs Health has revealed 22 bays will be added to the hospital’s emergency wing, with Hutchinson Builders creating a $10.5m partially modular ward off-site before installing it later in the year with conventional works.

The expansion by the State Government is just one of two major projects being completed at the hospital, with Hutchinson also building a special $7m isolation ward for patients with Covid-19 and other infectious diseases.

Speaking to The Chronicle, DDH chair Mike Horan said the expansion, due for completion in November, should ensure the hospital could handle capacity issues until a new precinct was eventually built at Baillie Henderson.

“We’ve got about 26 bays in our emergency department and this will add another 22 bays to it, to cope with the increasing numbers of the people coming to the emergency department,” he said.

“We started talking about it late last year, we got the funds for it this year, we’ve had the buildings constructed off-site by Hutchies, and we’re just getting to the stage where the buildings are getting close to being brought in.

“Once we bring them in, there will be a critical time for our staff in how we manage the ambulances and staff since it will be a construction site.

“This is designed to see us through five years, we hope.”

Concept art for the extension to the Toowoomba Hospital's emergency department by Hutchinson Builders.

It comes two months after statistics released in March showed Toowoomba Hospital’s ED performing below state averages, with a third of patients across all triage categories not seen within recommended times between October and December 2021.

Mr Horan said the hospital did not have ramping issues and was far better than other regions, but noted DDH was still battling continuing staff shortages.

“We’re hoping that accompanying the new building will be some additional staff, because it’s very difficult to get staff,” he said.

Construction of extension to the emergency department at Toowoomba Hospital. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“We’ve got all the services, but two years ago all the borders were shut and that (affected staffing numbers).

“We’ve got a wonderful arrangement at Toowoomba Hospital with our ambulances, we’ve got some of the best figures in the state but the staff numbers are limited.”

Mr Horan said civil works had also started on a $42m day surgery a Baillie Henderson Hospital, just up from where the new hospital is expected to be built.

Hutchinson Builders team leader Sean Lees said as many as 200 builders would be working on both projects on and off-site every day.

“The ED is a combination of a conventional refurbishment with a modular methodology for part of it,” he said.

“It enables simultenous works and produces a benefit to the overall construction program.

“We know how hard our men and women in emergency departments work, and to give them some new facilities is a fantastic opportunity for us – it will do a lot of good for the community.”